Racing Photo Challenge
I used to be a professional photojournalist for many years. In addition to covering news, sports, and feature stories, I was able to shoot for a number of racing and car publications and websites. A few years ago RacingNation.com founder John Wiedemann and esteemed motorsports journalist Dave Kallman challenged photographers to post a racing picture and the story behind it on a social media site for the 10 days leading up to the Daytona 500. Since we are coming up on the Indy 500, I thought I would republish my submissions here:
I'm not sure if this is my favorite racing shot, however it is my favorite story...1994 shooting at Milwaukee Mile all the photographers were told the winner would pull into victory lane on pit road. After the race I heard commotion behind me. I realized since Penske swept the podium so all the cars stopped on the track. I ran from the other photographers and literally jumped the wall from pit road down to the track and ran to Al Unser Jr. car. I straddled the nose so my ankles were behind the front wing and my toes under the front suspension. The ABC sports camera guys and announcer Jack Arute were on either side (notice the camera guys shoulders above) and I got the shot as Al got out of the car. I was the ONLY still photographer around so this is one photo I can definitely say no one else got! After Al did the TV interview some guy pushed me and a camera man to one side to try and get a shot with his little disposable camera. The back of my foot scrapped the back edge of the front wing making a horrible sound. Little Al looked down and stared at the wing with the Penske crew shouting for all of us to "get off the car." They pulled the disposable camera guy back by the arms and shoulders but left me and the ABC guys there. The joy of victory!
What was published by the West Allis Star is above. My photo editor didn't submit the Al Unser Jr. photo for the Wisconsin Newspapers Photography Association contest for a reason still unexplained even after years of me asking. Instead he submitted a shot I did of an armless motivation speaker drinking a cup of coffee with his foot. While a neat shot, I always thought the Al shot would have won awards because to me it sums up what photojournalism is about.
Sprint legend Steve Kinser at Charlotte in April 2014. The drivers had finished their warm ups and Steve was sitting in his car with his eyes closed either sleeping or zoning out. In either case I was amazed that no one was around him. No media, fans, or even crew. I also was surprised that he didn't travel like other mega driver stars. No fancy car, just a plain hauler.
Closer is better. Look at the intensity of the eyes moments before the race. Jacques Villeneuve at the Mile in 1995 on his way to the Indycar championship. His crew had finished strapping him in the car and he was just sitting there waiting. I walked up and kneeled between the sidepod and the tire and took the shot. Whenever I'm this close to a driver I make it a point to say thanks. He nodded and I left.
Day four of the racing photo challenge: This isn't a remarkable picture in a photographic sense. Some guy talking to Alex Zanardi in 1998. What I've always wondered is Alex being nice by listening to this guy because he is Alex Zanardi the nice guy, or is he really bored by the look on his face and is he just being polite and really can't stand this guy.
Day 5 of the race shot contest. Mario Andretti circa 1998. I was standing with two veteran photogs in pitlane. I saw Mario sitting on the wall and took the above shot. The two photogs I was with both said " you''ll never get a picture of Mario with a smile or laugh. . " don't tell me i can't get s shot of something because i will. for the rest o f the time on pitlane sat and waited. Soon i got gt h r bottom shot when someone said something funny to Mario. Years later he was signing autographs at a gas station in Menomonee falls. I waited and his agent was looking at everyone's items before they got to Mario. She said they r y were great t pictures. When i got to Mario he said the same thing. He held up the smiling one and said "you got me on a good day."
Day 5 of the race shot contest. Mario Andretti circa 1998. I was standing with two veteran photogs in pitlane. I saw Mario sitting on the wall and took the above shot. The two photogs I was with both said " you''ll never get a picture of Mario with a smile or laugh. . " don't tell me i can't get s shot of something because i will. for the rest o f the time on pitlane sat and waited. Soon i got gt h r bottom shot when someone said something funny to Mario. Years later he was signing autographs at a gas station in Menomonee falls. I waited and his agent was looking at everyone's items before they got to Mario. She said they r y were great t pictures. When i got to Mario he said the same thing. He held up the smiling one and said "you got me on a good day."
Day 6 of the racing photo challenge:
Max Papis at Milwaukee Mile. He was the first driver I saw with the big foam finger. I saw someone have one every year after, but Max was wearing it all over that day.
Max Papis at Milwaukee Mile. He was the first driver I saw with the big foam finger. I saw someone have one every year after, but Max was wearing it all over that day.
Day 7 of the racing photo challenge.
Helio Castroneves 2nd place and I believe his first podium
A decade later and the smile is still the same. When I showed him this picture a couple of years ago Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon were giving him grief about how much hair he used to have!Helio Castroneves 2nd place and I believe his first podium
Day 8 of the racing photo challenge. I always try to get candid shots of drivers. Jimmy Johnson on cell phone. NASCAR drivers are swamped with fans allowed into the paddock. Often the fans hang out at the hauler when they see a driver go into it, waiting for the driver to come out so they can get autographs. Often the drivers sneak out of the side or front door of the truck to get away from the fans. In this case Jimmy Johnson walked out of the side of the hauler and took a cell phone call. Tons of fans were waiting behind the hauler but no one looked on the side of the hauler where they would have seen him. I did and took my shot without giving away his position. I always thought it was ironic that he has all these places he can hide to take a private call but decides to go outside in plain site and no one knew he was there.
Mark Martin at Las Vegas in 2011. He was getting ready for the Busch, err..Nationwide race and chatting with crew members. The whole time smiling and laughing. If you aren't having fun doing what you do, then why do it?
Day 11 of racing photo challenge:
How do you show a car at speed as a fan when you are shooting from above a gray track with no markings? In this case I moved down and used the fence. Normally you want to get rid of distractions like fences. In this case I used it.
Day 12 of the photo challenge:
People might think shooting pit stops is easy because the cars are still. The hard part is there is chaos all around. I love this shot because you can see Justin Wilson looking intently at the right front tire changer just waiting for the signal to go. There is the heat haze from the engine, the jack man looking at the fuel man, the fan way in the background taking pictures, the crew members focusing on changing tires. The hard part about pit stop shots is getting a compelling shot that isn't blocked by other crew members or cars.
Speaking of pit stops here is my other favorite pit stop shot. Kevin Harvick at Vegas Busch race. What makes this shot for me is the shadow of the crewman's hand on the hood and his foot in midair
One of my favorite car shots. Partly for the angle and how close I was but also partly for the story. In 2007 Sebastian Vettel was the reserve driver for BMW Williams. He was subbing for the injured Robert Kubica. For the first practice session on Friday there is barely any media except around the pits. I make it a point to get a shot of every driver at a race just in case you need it for a story. Vettel was one of the first drivers out. This shot is him at turn three on his first lap of the weekend. I was the ONLY photographer of any kind (even fans) in the turn and the only one clicking away when Vettel came by. Since I got my one shot of him I concentrated on all the stars of F1 for the rest of the weekend. He finished 7th this race and I was an instant fan. If I had known that weekend he would be a four time champion I might have shot more pics of him!
Technically this photo isn't perfect, but it is Greg Moore's first career win. Notice his fist in the air as he approaches the line.
Jeff Gordon on fire in practice at Vegas in 2011. My training comes from years working as a photojournalist taking images to tell a story not create or enhance a story. Sometimes that handicaps my thinking on how to capture images, however it also means that I try to get the right image and cropping in camera and not software. Unfortunately race cars don't always do exciting things in front of your camera, so when the moment comes along I have to be ready.
Day 16 Racing Photo Challenge:
Sometimes the devil is in the details. What I love about this shot of the Audi R15 at Road America is Allan McNish wiping the rain off of his visor. Without that it would be an ordinary shot of a race car in the rain
This is a shot I've always loved. It just "feels" gritty. Jensen Button at the USGP in Indy 2006. David Coultard approaching from behind just seems to add a sense of desperation with Jensen leaning into the wheel as if he is willing the car to go faster (that is the only way the BAR Honda went faster) before Coultard catches him
Ralf Schumacher gassing it to get off the dirt at the USGP in 2003. I just love all the dirt flying off the tires
Day 19 of the racing challenge:
A signature shot of mine. I always try to get an unblocked view of the face. Paul Tracy at the Milwaukee Mile in 2007
Day 20 of the racing photo challenge: I kike this because it is tough to get four cars in a shot, even if it is on a parade lap! Las Vegas 2011
Day 21 of the 10 day racing photo challenge:
NASCAR races are three hours or more. Ever wonder how the crew passes time? WHen you have nothing to do you watch TV!
Day 22 of the racing photo challenge:
Gil DeFerran has been one of my favorite drivers since he began in CART. He always makes it a point to ask about the slotcar league I'm in, and more fun he tells me the exact situation of the pictures of him I show him. The event, who he was racing/trying to pass, and in this case using my picture to show Simon Pagenaud that there were curbs inside turn 5 at Road America
Day 23, 13 days after the 10 day racing photo challenge (I'm going until the day before the Daytona 500) You may have noticed that a lot of the photos I've posted are signed. What I have found over the years is that drivers don't really SEE the photos shot of them, especially the drivers in the junior series or cars that are always toward the back. I never get autographs while working, but enjoy in the off time showing the photos to drivers and hearing their stories about that race (see the Gil DeFerran picture from this album). When they sign it I think it is neat that I made a connection with them and I walk away with a unique souvenir, a picture I shot signed and explained/enjoyed by the driver. When Duncan Ende saw this from one of his races he rolled his eyes and threw his head back as he got razzing from his new teammates, hence why I like that he wrote what he did on this shot.
Day 24: Sometimes you never know what you see at the time until you get home and look at the images. 2006 F1 race at Indianapolis. I was concentrating on the leading Ferraris.
Notice Nick Heidfeld on his side in the background and the McLaren cars hitting and spinning each other too
Notice Nick Heidfeld on his side in the background and the McLaren cars hitting and spinning each other too
Day 25: It is tough to get two F1 cars in the same shot because they are not usually this close.
Takuma Sato's teammate Sakon Yamanoto looks to get around him at the 2006 USGP.
Notice the leading lines and my trademark faces in the shot
Takuma Sato's teammate Sakon Yamanoto looks to get around him at the 2006 USGP.
Notice the leading lines and my trademark faces in the shot
Day 26: Wolf Henzler, longtime sportscar winning driver, signs a photo of he and my son from the year before. Wolf was leaving after the race and I asked if he could take a picture with my son as he was also Wolf. He said he was late for a plane but stopped anyway. My son brought the picture back for him to sign and Wolf remembered him. That is a lesson all people involved in all racing series need to remember, it doesn't matter about how many people you attract with disposable income if you don't get the kids interested in following the sport
Day 27: 2006 F1 Indianapolis: My last shot for this album (for now). My favorite racing driver, Michael Schumacher. Was a fan since I started following F1 in 1993. I got to see him race in person 8 times and win 5 (really 6 if he didn't back off for Rubens in 2002). It makes me sad to know I won't see him race anything anymore. Ferrari never should have forced him out (they have paid the price until finally signing Vettel last year, although it brought Schumacher's shadow back to the team forefront as everyone compares Vettel coming to Ferrari in disarray as Schumacher did). He never wanted to return to sportscars, but should have instead of coming back to F1. Shumi was a full out speed driver going as fast as he could between pitstops. Conserving tires and fuel was not his style (although that was the style when he got to F1 in 1991). When they changed the rules to bring refueling back that is when he had his biggest success. I can't say how much he helped develop the Mercedes during his time, but I'm sure he helped keep them viable from a sponsorship point giving Mercedes more time to create a dominate car while they didn't have to pay the full bill for the sucky first few years. If he raced sportscars could you see him in the Audi R8 or R10 fighting it out with the Penske Porsche Spyders?! What would he have thought about Road America? He would have loved the track and been able to do his fitness running through the woods and no one would have known who he was. None of that was meant to be. F1 needs a guy people want to topple to be the best. Hamilton and Vettel don't quite have the same polarizing effect as Schumi. Thanks for the memories and the enjoyment Schumi.
Thanks too to John Wiedemann, Dave Kallman, Dan Margetta, John Cannor, John Shea, and everyone else that has participated so far. It has been fun to see memories, cool camera techniques, and everyone's style. From local racing, personalities, action, and more artistic flair, everyone has done something different and that has been fun to see. Reading the stories made the images come alive in ways better than just seeing an image. Keep shooting everyone!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy
A Heck of A Nice Guy
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